Lady Nelson by Holty - Amati/Victory Models - Scale 1:64

[Bettina]

Dear Daniel

No I don't have a log although I have been egged on by other members. Like many folk, I barely have enough time to build the thing never mind take photos and also to be perfectly honest, NO-ONE would learn anything from my log!
Have a go though with this model, it is a very good kit. I have built several Occre made kits and after building this (and reading other modelers views on other manufacturers) I have to say that the Amati Victory kits are second to none.

With regards to more help in assisting a first build, there are so many great kit build logs out there, especially Ray’s Lady Nelson and of course this one, come back Holty you are needed!

I also used Keith Julier’s excellent book  “The New Period Ship Handbook” 2004 which covers the Lady Nelson as one of his builds and the MSW Simple Hull Planking for beginners.

Wishing you all the best, Bettina

[Holty]

Hi, sorry I disappeared for a while, Christmas and a few things going on at home has slowed me a bit, the eyelets for the cannon have been a nuisance too and I seem to be going nowhere fast. I have a little bit of work left to do on the cannons and then I will fit them, pics soon I hope

[Bettina]

Hi Holty, Great to see you back! Don’t get disheartened when you hit the wall on a build. On my last build I put it down for a good 6 months before I had the impetus to start again, as everyone knows here you have to be in the mood to sit down and tackle a problem (like those bl##dy eyelets) All the best, Bettina

[Sailor1234567890]

We'll wait patiently for your pics. Keep at her.

[Holty]

Anyone know what knot to use for attaching cannons? By the way I'm very humbled and heartened by the encouragement on here, it's a difficult hobby and made so much easier by the people on here. Lord knows what people did before forums!

[Sailor1234567890]

What attachment are you refering to?

[Holty]

To tie it to the inner bulwark. I'm going simple on this build, similar to Rays Nelson's cannons (as in not fully rigged). Not sure on the length either, obviously they would need to draw back far enough to reload but how far? They are bloody small so I'm not fiddling about with them too much,

[Sailor1234567890]

I'd have a look at others but without further instruction or direction, I'd simply seize them back on themselves after passing through the eye in the bulwark. Not sure exactly what is correct for that ship though.

[Ray]

Hi seize them through the eyelet and then fix the eyelet into the bulkhead a good pair of tweezers helps.

[Holty]

Cheers both, sounds about right,I'll give it a go

[Bettina]

Dear Holty, along with a pair of tweezers, I would also recommend buying a simple needle threader as this will make your life a lot easier for those eyelets already in place. If you don’t know what I am on about I will send you a picture and directions on how to use it.

Also for later on, you might consider some beeswax which comes in a plastic container. The thinner tan cordage supplied with this build is quite furry and can be hard to thread. You thread the line through the wax and it will cut down on the “furriness” and make the line easier to use as it becomes semi stiff so you can direct it more easily and it becomes easier to use when threading, tying knots and seizing. Again I can send you a link to the product if you like, best wishes, Bettina

[olliechristo]

Wow i only just found your build, this is a beautiful little ship you have built.. Look forward to browsing through . Regards ollie

[Holty]

Thanks Ollie,glad you like it.

 

Bettina, I do actually know what you mean but did not think about that, good advice.

 

I Still can't get my head round the seizing and I can't find much on 3 pounders. May have to move on to something else for now

[tkay11]

I don't know if this helps, but these are the gun dimensions from the Cutter Alert, as in the AOTS book:

 

 

Tony

[Holty]

As promised I have finally got round to uploading some pics, cannons painted and fixed, I know its not ideal but I may have to wait to rig them as I am not quite sure how best to do them.

 

Had a little accident when attaching the companionway resultig in a splodge on the deck so needs a lil scrape to fix it up (its not too bad). It is actually more difficult than I thought attaching parts to the deck, the curvature makes it tricky and could have done with some tinkering to get them to sit flush. Next time I will also make a copy of the plans that I can lay over the model temporarily for marking out.

 

Still got loads of eyelets to fix but I have bought some more drills as I snapped one when I dropped it, getting better with fixing the swines now.

 

Next up will be the chainstays and pumps, hopefully be able to spend more time now xmas is out the way

 

Thanks for looking in!

[Bettina]

Dear Holty, Its really looking good. Nice and Sharp. Top tip on the eyelets which I discovered too late in the day. Plan ahead. Look at your plans re rigging etc and see what goes where for later on. Then in many cases don’t permanently fix the eyelets in place. Drill the holes and place the eyelets in situ so you know where they go but make sure they can still be removed. This will make attaching the rigging blocks etc much easier later on. Also re rigging the cannons, do this before you start rigging the boat. Trust me, it is quite hard to do accurate work on deck when you have umpteen rigging lines getting in your way, Best wishes, Bettina

[Holty]

Thanks Bettina,Still not sure on what size thread to use for the cannons, doesn't appear to be mentioned in the plans. I plan to do this before I start rigging though. I still have a few bits left before I have gone too far I think / I hope.

[Bettina]

Hi Holty, I used .50 thread but not the thread supplied in the kit as I found it too furry and it just looked a bit to "String" like.

I prefer Caldercraft rigging thread. Best wishes, Bettina

[Blue Ensign]

You've come a long way in developing your techniques Holty since the first planking, and she's turning into a nice looking model.

Regarding the line diameters for gun rigging:-

 

The breeching is around 4.25" circumference which scales to 0.54mm diameter. The side tackles if you intend to fit them are 2" circumference line = 0.25mm diameter at scale. (source AotS Cutter Alert)

 

You might find that 0.5mm line looks a little thin for the breeching line when placed on the gun and 0.25mm a little thick for the tackles by comparison.

 

There should be a visible difference in size between the two; in rigging the six pounders on Pegasus I went for 0.7mm line for the breeching and 0.1mm line for the tackles, but I also used much smaller tackle blocks than kit provided ones.

 

If you go for 0.25mm tackles (because the blocks are bigger) then I would consider 0.75mm line for the breeching.

 

Regards,

 

B.E.

 

 

[Holty]

Thanks B.E. Sound advice as ever

[Holty]

I have a more permanent Ship yard now, a shiny new desk, not bad for 40 quid. This has been a godsend as I dont have to keep packing away and unpacking and finding tools all over the house.

 

Ship wise I have finally bitten the bullet and rigged the cannons as best I can, they are so small and fiddly but it makes a real diffference and great to see the first yarn being added to the build.

 

As I look at theses pics though I have decided to re-do the gratings as they look too "stuck on" and lack the arch you see on the real thing. They are such a focal point on a ship too that I think it will be worth the effort of re-doing them. A lot of the eyelets are in place now too so once I have finished rigging the cannons I will be moving on to winch and the dreaded Bowsprit and mast planing (shudder).

 

Thanks for looking in

 

Holty

[Holty]

In other news, my Minecraft Victory is coming along too

 

Edited March 14, 2014 by Holty

[egkb]

Hi Holty,

Lady N looks fantastic (I have it's small relation on the 'to do' shelves.. HMS Sherbourne)  Jut thought I'd chirp in and suggest that instead of re-doing the gratings that you could try to sand the required curves in place ! perhaps this is what you meant all along though, but if not it may save you a bunch of re-making .

 

Victory looks the business too by the way..

 

Have a Great Weekend

 

Eamonn

[Holty]

Eamonn, so glad you said that, minute I posted I thought a salvage operation would be cheaper and easier.I think some sandpaper laid over the deck would help stop it looking stuck on and sanding edges round will give it a more authentic look. I'm quite happy to have an amateur look to my Lady(after all,I am amateur) but I want to look at it one day and think, "my first ship" with some pride, satisfaction and.... better gratings.

 

I know my next model could potentially be 10 times better through what I have learnt, and as I mentioned when I first posted, this is more a log of encouragement to beginners than anything else. Had it not been for this site I probably never would have even bought this beautiful kit so I'm giving back.

 

Also for any noobs looking in, absolute dividends are paid doing a build log,people here are so ace, there is no looking down on people, just help and encouragement. Whatever your level, it all helps the site

Edited March 14, 2014 by Holty

[egkb]

Totally agree Holty, I'm in the same boat (so to speak) with my first wooden build going on in the forum there somewhere..   I've had huge help from more experienced members and from people at the same stage as I am but with a slightly different perspective.. this MSW thingy is the business.

What do you have planned for after Lady N ?

 

Eamonn

[Holty]

I'll have to check it out, I'm veering towards Pegasus however I've seen there is an upgraded Hms Fly kit too.

[Sailor1234567890]

I want to bash a Lady Nelson in to Hornblowers Witch of Endore. I think she's the most suitable model for the task and she'd require very little modification. How do you find Lady Nelson? Instructions enough? Material of a reasonable quality? Difficulty level for a first timer? 

Thanks,
Daniel

Edited March 15, 2014 by Sailor1234567890

[Holty]

Hi Daniel, I'd say it is a good kit for a beginner however I think with all Pob kits they don't exactly walk you through it. A lot of research needs to be done prior to taking them on although there is nothing like messing up to learn most. Written instructions are pretty shoddy but the plans are good.

[Sailor1234567890]

Thanks Holty.

[Holty]

Little update / New toy

 

So I gave in and bought a Dremel, proper handy little all rounder it is too. Yet to exploit its full potential but can think of many uses for it. 

 

I have spruced up the gratings, they are arced a little now and sanded to the arc of the deck a bit more too so look a lot better. I'm fairly happy with these now so they are in place.

 

Dry fitted the pumps so a lick of paint and they will be good to go. Companionway will be adjusted too, I want it to stand out a little more so may give that a lick of paint whilst I am at it.

 

Was hoping to get the port side cannons rigged up last weekend too but for some reason I was struggling again with it, I find walking away and coming back normally helps.

 

Hopefully I will get them finished this weekend and then I can finish off the deck